Industry leaders, bureaucrats, political staffers and interested students alike congregated at Sturm Hall’s Davis Auditorium on Wednesday, April 13, for the first of five Denver Mayoral Forums co-hosted by CBS News Colorado. The forum, hosted by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and moderated by CBS News reporter and Political Specialist Shaun Boyd, featured the remnants of a 17 candidate field in a contest to become the 46th Mayor of Denver; Mike Johnston and Kelly Brough. 

Johnston served as the State Senator for Colorado’s 33rd district from 2009 to 2017, with experience as an educator and an informal advisor to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He unsuccessfully ran for Colorado Governor and Senator in 2018 and 2019, and has since worked in the private sector, most recently serving as the CEO of the non-profit group Gary Community Ventures.

Brough is the former Chief of Staff to then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, having spent much of her professional career in the public sector. She has additionally served as head of the city’s human resource department and as a legislative analyst for the Denver City Council.

After surviving a crowded general election, the candidates are headed for a highly anticipated June 6th runoff election.

In his opening remarks, Johnston touched on his experience as a CEO in the downtown Denver area, recognizing both the promise and challenges facing the city of Denver, including homelessness, public safety and affordability.

In her opening remarks, Brough addressed similar issues testing the city, including homelessness, revitalizing Denver’s downtown and making the city safe for everyone. “For our visitors, our residents, our businesses,” she said.

From tourism and business to tackling homelessness and public safety, the finalists in the race for the mayor’s office addressed a myriad of issues facing the Mile High city, bearing similar campaign platforms and positions on Denver’s challenges, solutions and future.

The first topic focused on tourism and business, concentrating on the role arts will play in economic development, and as mayor, how the candidates will attract new business and keep Denverites from moving elsewhere.

Johnston and Brough highlighted the significance of investing in the arts and improving the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Johnston highlighted his plan for art in Denver, acknowledging how the city must be a place where artists want to live and build their craft. He pledged to work with Redline to expand an artists fellowship, providing canvases and the resources necessary to stimulate Denver artistry.

Touching down on the Denver International Airport (DIA), the candidates divulged their plans for the major traveling hub. As mayor, Johnston hopes to establish direct flights to Africa and feature more local businesses within the airport. Brough concurred, wanting to explore greater travelship to Africa and the Middle East, noting that she would follow the data to tell us where to go and improve airport efficiency and marketing.

The candidates swiftly guided the discussion toward homelessness, housing and public safety, exploring solutions to revitalize Denver’s downtown area and to ensure the city remains an attractive destination for businesses and residents.

Boyd, the moderator, cited Denver’s net loss of 6,500 businesses, 1,000 from the Denver business district alone, and that 1 in every 4 homeowners are looking to leave the city, pointing to crime, schools and cost of living as the most prominent reasons.

Both candidates agreed that an end must be brought to homeless unsanctioned camping, and that an expansion of mental health care services and resources is necessary to reduce its prevalence. 

They differed slightly in their approach to this issue, however. Brough specified an increase in the accessibility and presence of mental health professionals and recruitment of officers. Johnston further illustrated his plan to hire more first responders and develop micro-communities, serving as safe and dignified housing with mental health services, addiction treatment and workforce development.

On housing, neither candidate believed that the passage of Senate Bill 213 would make housing more affordable, with Brough not taking an official position on the bill, and Johnson citing Proposition 123 as being a more effective solution to the problem.

SB23-213 removes local government control and home rule authority from elected leaders and imposes zoning and land use standards on municipalities. Proposition 123 created the State Affordable Housing Fund, dedicated toward funding housing programs. 

In noting the Denver City Council’s composition of four Democratic socialists and the success and failure of ballot initiatives Brough and Johnston opposed and supported, Boyd forced the candidates to more broadly confront city politics and address why they were out of step with voters, and how the two moderate Democrats will work effectively in a city becoming increasingly progressive.

The plan to approve injection sites by the Denver City Council and state lawmakers highlighted the candidates’ divergence from the city’s more progressive policy approach to drug use and public safety, with both opposing the measure, arguing it does more for enabling drug use rather than the prevention of deaths.

As for projects the mayoral-hopefuls would devote the most attention to, the 16th Street Mall and DIA triumphed. On governance, the two noted the Police Chief and Leader of Host as being their most important of appointments, with Brough conveniently including Chief of Staff and Johnston wanting to create the city’s first ever Senior Advisor on homelessness position.

 

As the forum drew to a close, Boyd addressed the elephant in the room, or perhaps lack thereof. She acknowledged how the city ended up with two moderate, mainstream Democrats, both good choices, asking, “How do you distinguish yourself from your opponent?” 

Brough illustrated that her extensive experience in government and personal life experiences set her apart from her opponent. “I’ve never run for office before, and I’m not running for another office…I think the next Mayor has some tough decisions to make, and I think what I bring is confidence that every one of my decisions will be about this city and what’s best for it, not about what my political future might look like.”

Johnston similarly touted his experience in the non-profit, for-profit, private and public sector, as well as his ability to build a vision, offer detailed plans and strategies on accomplishing objectives, and his track record of having “taken on very hard problems, setting ambitious goals, build broad coalitions, and delivered historic results.”

With all signs pointing toward a tight, heavily contested race, the stage is set for Denver to choose a new mayor for the first time in 12 years.